This is the time of year when I get emails and Facebook notes from people who downloaded my Word of the Year Discovery Tool last year at this time. They’re writing to share the breakthroughs that happened to them as they let a single word “guide” them throughout the past 365 days.

This practice of choosing a word-of-the-year (rather than making resolutions) is something I wrote about in a blog post back in 2006. The post went mildly viral. Since then, all kinds of articles have been written about it, jewelry artists create custom-made word jewelry for people who want to wear their word, and Facebook is alive and kicking with discussions about it. (My Platinum mastermind has already started talking in our private forum about their word for next year.)

I now believe that choosing a word for the year is so compelling because it takes the “should” out of our own upleveling. Our word calls us out, rather than driving us to work harder.

In the world of business ownership and entrepreneurship, the idea of intention all too often revolves around ego-driven achievement. So it goes like this:

If you have a goal, you name that goal. You go for that goal. You make it happen. You reach that goal. You get the reward. Then you make another goal. You are almost always going for “more” or “better” or “faster.”

And yes, this is a completely valid way to do things. And it works, too! Hell, it’s what makes many businesses successful!

However, the thing about goals and intentions when created from such a hardcore place of drive is that often, what we say we want is actually coming from a place of lack or shame or fear. So, yes, we can make lots of stuff happen, but the true thing we desire – our own freedom – doesn’t ever happen.

And this is what strikes me about these messages from people who chose a word based on my coaching in that little tool I created. They are most excited about the strength and freedom that unfolded within. Not just the results they created. Almost always, they report that they had a little bit of resistance to their word at first. Or they were surprised at their word. Or they wanted a “cooler” word. Or a “bigger” word. But the word they ended up choosing was the perfect word for their true upleveling.

When we step back and just allow, our word of the year seems to simply choose us.

This is not to say that you can’t go forth and achieve and get things done and be your big badass self. (In fact, action is required!) But it is to say that setting an intention is often much more fun when there’s mystery involved. When you open up to a word that will truly guide you, you’re doing much more than playing some kitschy little new year’s game. You are letting your soul show you the way to your own wild open-hearted custom-made path of happy.

So, I’d rather hear from you than me on this topic. If you’ve ever chosen a word of the year, what was your experience during that year? What happened? What didn’t happen? And most important, how did it open you up? Share away and let’s inspire some peeps!

Christine Kane is the Mentor to People Who are Changing the World. She helps women and men Uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly Uplevel You eZine goes out to over 26,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://christinekane.com.

A lot of people will tell you that it’s difficult these days to fill events, but that just doesn’t have to be the case.

To easily fill your large or small event with ideal, action-taking clients, you need to make sure that you have a clear and distinct promise that is evident in the title of your event.

The promise is the transformation that the attendees are going to receive. It’s how their life or business will be transformed by attending your event.

The clearer your promise, the easier it will be to fill the seats.

For instance, if you’re a woman who’s struggling with midlife hormonal shifts, and you see an event, like Karen Leggett’s, called The Art of Balancing Hormones, you’re going to say, Hey, that’s exactly what I need. Sign me up.

Monetize Your Mission was the very first event I ever did. Its promise is clear. You want to monetize the mission that you’re on? Go to the event. Our bestselling event, which has more than 2,300 graduates all over the world, is Speak-to-Sell Bootcamp. You want to speak and sell, where should you go? Lisa Sasevich.

When the promise isn’t evident in the title, it’s much harder to fill the room. If people can’t tell from a glance what they’re going to get, it becomes a slog for you to explain it.

I used to teach a class for another company called The Amazing Development of Men. The title doesn’t tell you what you’re actually going to get, so I spent a lot of time explaining the promise, until I finally got the brainstorm to change the name to “Understand Men 101.” When we did that, we went from introductory classes of 4, 8 or 20 people to 50, 100 and 200 people—just by adjusting the event promise. Again, that worked because the outcome of finally understanding men was obvious—and irresistible—to the people who wanted that result.

Extend the Magic
Now, once you get your ideal clients in the room, you continue the magic of this simple idea by having an equally clear and distinct promise for your upsell—whatever it is that you are offering attendees to continue and deepen their work with you.

So, if that’s your high-ticket mentorship or mastermind group program, it needs to have a clear and evident promise as well.

As you can see, this is a concept that can serve you many times over. In fact, it’s part of the secret sauce that, for me, has generated more than $20 million in sales and allowed me to work from home with the most amazing clients, touching people all over the world.

If you’d like to learn more about the ingredients of this secret sauce and have me show you exactly how to get not just to the promise of your event but the promise of your mastermind, you’ve got to attend Event Profit Secrets. We’ll show you how to create an experience that your clients will not want to end, so they’ll stay with you in your group program for 3, 6, 9, or 12 months after your event.

If you love what you do, but hate the "sales part," sales conversion expert Lisa Sasevich will show you simple, quick and easy ways to boost sales without spending a dime...and without being salesy. Get your FREE e-course and Sales Nuggets now at www.FreeSalesTrainingFromLisa.com

Have you ever watched a movie and wished you were the hero of the movie? Lost yourself completely that you thought you were in the movie – until the end credits brought you back to reality? When you watch a movie about a hero, you feel excitement, fear, suspense – you feel inspired and excited and more.

That’s the hero part of you, waiting for you to answer the call to become a hero in your own business and life.

You don’t have to be a swash-buckling pirate saving a damsel to be a hero. You don’t have to be Diana Nyad, swimming from Cuba to Florida, to be a hero. Being a hero can mean stepping up in your life to live more fully, taking more risks and going after more opportunities, or awakening to develop your unique gifts and creativity.

The Hero’s Journey is everyone’s journey, if you choose to grow and make positive changes. It can mean “showing up” more fully present in your relationships. Or taking your talents and gifts more seriously and finally taking the time and space to follow a dream.

And will there be challenges?

Absolutely. The path to becoming a hero in your own life is not challenge-free. There will be doubts, naysayers, lots of “helpful” advice, pebbles,in the path, unexpected allies and even dragons to deal with.

And that’s when you know you’re on the right path.

If you love what you do, but hate trying to "make the sale" one by one, list building expert Maritza Parra will show you 7 simple, quick and easy ways to build your 6-Figure List without spending a dime... Imagine building your own list of prospects who love what you do and what you uniquely offer! Get your FREE 6-Figure List Building Template and e-course now at www.FreeListBuildingBonus.com

As you know, I read a lot of online articles over the course of each week, and share them regularly on social media hoping friends, fans and followers can benefit from the advice and insights as well. Recently I started sharing the “best of the best” in a Top 5 blog series that’s become my favorite post to write each week.

Last week I came across three different articles written by the heads of three different companies, all in different industries, suggesting that blogging has been instrumental to the growth of their business.

Chris Johnson of Simplifilm, a video production house, said that 60% of their leads have come from just two blog posts.

John Kramp of consulting firm The Riverstone Group wished he had started blogging sooner: “I now know that if I had started blogging from the beginning,” he says, “I would have learned more much more quickly, I would have been clearer on our business story and would have connected earlier with people to help and cheer us on earlier.”

Likeable Media founder Dave Kerpen threw down a challenge at his company six years ago to blog daily, and he’s gotten business from decision makers who are regular readers. One even said, ”‘We have to do a RFP, but I’ve been reading your blog for a year now, and I know we’re going to hire you. I have $250,000 for our first project.’”

We see how writing blog posts can help different types of companies attract new business. And it seems that blogging for professional service firms is particularly valuable since B2B services can be hard to explain in simple and compelling ways. But why does it work?

Here are 6 compelling reasons why blogging can be such a big driver of growth for professional services:

1) Writing helps organize your thinking.

To write a coherent post, you need to identify a central theme, gather the evidence to support it, and structure your argument so others can follow it. This removes a layer of complexity that might be preventing your target audience from seeing the value of your services.

2) Writing pushes you to explain things better.

With so many years in your field, you see problems and solutions clearly. Because others don’t have that same knowledge, you have to distill complicated ideas into easy-to-understand concepts. The more you do it, the better you get at it.

3) Writing forces you to understand your audience.

It compels you to look at their perspective and understand not only the common situations they face, but also why they might resist taking action and how to persuade them to do so anyway.

You begin to build a mountain of evidence that proves your expertise in your field. Typical website marketing copy tells readers you know your stuff. Blog posts show them you do.

5) Writing online facilitates distribution.

You can easily email links to your articles to potential clients, post them to social media sites, and offer them up as resources in online discussion groups. This also makes it easier for others to read your posts and share them as well.

6) Writing online leaves electronic breadcrumbs that lead back to you.

Optimizing your posts for search engines and writing posts that others freely share all create a trail that leads prospects back to you when they search online for solutions to their challenges and answers to their questions.

Blogging on a regular basis not only helps your business grow, it helps YOU grow as a professional. You’ll hone, shape and expand your expert knowledge and have more to offer your clients. If you’re not yet blogging for business, now is the time to start. And if you have, your top priority should be to ramp up the quality and frequency of your posts.

Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, shows 6-figure professionals how to unlock the power of their connections and convert relationships to revenues easily, consistently and authentically.”

When I was just out of college, I got a job at a PR firm. At that time, every new person I met at any party or in any bar always started the conversation with the same question: “What do you do?”

It’s the classic perfunctory question, and as such, it seems to require a perfunctory answer. It dawned on me at this point that I’d been getting asked the “Perfunctory Question” – in some form or another – since I was sixteen.

Think about it. In high school, at some point, everyone starts asking you the same question:

“Where are you going to college?”

So, rather than any exploration of who you are or what you love learning about, you learn how to provide satisfying stock answers. After you finally make your college choice (or default to where you got accepted), you enter the next level of the Perfunctory Question:

“What’s your major?”

Now, you may be so far away from your college years that you don’t remember every college guy you met at every loud party lifting a plastic cup of keg beer to his mouth and asking you…

“So, what’s your major?”

But it happened, I promise. At some point in college, after you’ve shared your major with everyone, you enter the next Perfunctory Question, which is,

“Where are you going to work?” Or “Do you have a job yet?”

Which – again – launches you into easy-to-categorize ways of telling people that you are, in fact, okay, and that you are able to make this conversation safe and easy on them.

Then you enter the world of work. And along with it, you enter into our final Perfunctory Question, which is:

“What do you do?”

This one will follow you forever.

So even though you know that, as a business owner, your income requires that you learn how to market, communicate and connect — you have learned – from years of habit – to dumb it down and make it perfunctory…

“I’m a therapist.”

“I’m a coach.”

“I’m a graphic designer.”

Most of us reduce our work to the most understandable, easiest-to-say category just so people will “get” us and get us fast. We’ve learned well. And this is why, when you’re introduced to the idea of an elevator speech, you cringe.

After all, having a quick, easy, stock answer always got the job done. Why should you try to create any deep or meaningful response to that question? Well, because now that you have a business, you have to market. And that means you have to connect a little deeper.

(And no, I’m not asking you to become like your friend Janice who changed her name to “River” and answers this question by telling people she’s a divine presence in the universe here only to provide light and love to all. Please do not do this.)

If you have a business and you want clients, you need to learn how to communicate clearly what you do for people so that you attract them and so that your Ideal Client wants to know more.

You have to break the ‘let’s just get this out and over with” Perfunctory Pattern that you’ve learned up until now.

Here’s how:1 – CONNECT with your answer.

The elevator speech formula is “I help X [Ideal client] get Y [Results you deliver.] Take the time to find the most elegantly simple wording of this formula so it works for you, so it’s something you WANT to say over and over again.2 – PRACTICE your answer.

I know. I know. You’re an “in the moment” kind of person. Practicing your Elevator Speech? That’s so, you know, NOT you.

Okay, yes. But get over it.

When you have a structure and know the steps, you can be “in the moment” all you want. The structure provides the freedom. Every great improv musician started with a metronome at some point.

So, revel in looking like an idiot and walk around your house practicing your Elevator Speech.

3 – ASK a great question.

Rather than waiting for someone to ask you the Perfunctory Question so you can use your Elevator Speech, why not create your own list of three non-perfunctory questions that ultimately defines you as someone who knows the pain points of your clients?

Think about it. You have the opportunity to Uplevel the perfunctory conversation. What questions do you most want to ask people to determine whether or not you are the one to help them or give them a great resource?

Christine Kane is the Mentor to People Who are Changing the World. She helps women and men Uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly Uplevel You eZine goes out to over 26,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://christinekane.com.

A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed for the Your Worth Your Wealth Telesummit where I shared challenges, lessons learned and my successes in building a multi-six figure business.

During that conversation, the topic of procrastination came up and Jenenne, the fabulous host of this event, talked about the idea that the longer we procrastinate, the longer we stay stagnant - in the same place - not making forward progress.

I've heard people say that before, and I actually use to say it myself. Until I realized that it was absolutely not true. It's not true that when you procrastinate you are standing still, not making strides towards your goals - that's the good news. However, there's also bad news. The reason you're not standing still is that when you procrastinate, you are actually losing ground, putting yourself at a deficit and actively putting yourself further and further behind in reaching your goals.

How? Because procrastination uses up a commodity that is nonrecoverable - time!

For every minute that you put something off, for every hour you delay, for every day you say tomorrow, for every week you declare next week, for every month you decide to wait until the first of the following month and for every year you think it better to wait until the new year - you are certainly, without a doubt, NOT standing still. Your are significantly putting yourself behind schedule - so much so that it may be next to impossible to recover.

It's corny but true - time waits for no one.

If you think that by allowing:

Fear
Laziness
Other people's needs
Lack of knowledge
Feeling overwhelmed
The fact that it's not "fun"
That fact that you're scared to make a decision
The idea that it will be uncomfortable
The thought that you will be inconvenienced
That you'll have to go at alone
That you'll have to wait for _________ (fill in the blank) to happen.

that you're just keeping yourself in the same place, you are WRONG!

If you've been procrastinating on goals that you set yesterday, last month, in January, two years ago, five years ago, ten years ago - and all you do is say "someday" or "one day", I just want to remind you that at some point, "someday" or "one day" won't be option. Not necessarily because you'll be dead, but because the opportunities that are available to you right now to assist you in getting your goals accomplished won't be there.

There's another saying, "It's never too late." Well, that depends on what you're talking about. And for some, your procrastination will result in the very real fact that, "It's too late."

So how do you combat your procrastination? How do you get moving and not put off what you know you need to do?

In answering that, I could reference psychology articles, strategies to overcome fear or ways to set up accountability structures. Or, I could just say: find one thing you can do today that that you've been putting off and do it. Then, tomorrow, find another thing you've been putting off and do that. On the day after that....I hope you get the picture.

Don't make this harder than it is. Get over your list of excuses and in the words of Nike - Just Do It.

If you need clarity, a plan, a strategy, a new perspective or a shift around what's possible for you when you move past the tasks you've been procrastinating on - contact me a about a RADICAL Breakthrough Strategy Session or a RADICAL VIP Day.

Software Advice, a source for
technology reviews and comparisons, wanted to discover more about how women are
changing the business landscape, so we charted the journeys of five
highly-successful women in customer service and found out that a combination of
relationship building, being flexible and welcoming and implementing feedback
led them to their positions today.

Molly
DeMaagd

Title: Social Media Customer Service Director,
AT&T

Years of Experience: 19

Biggest Takeaway: Identify and
fill unmet customer needs.

A 19-year AT&T employee, Molly DeMaagd
reached her position as the social media customer service director after
starting in the company’s call centers, helping launch the first email customer
service team, and its first online self-service customer service
website.

In her current role, DeMaagd noticed more customers posting
service questions to the company’s Facebook page, and knew she needed to make a
new path to help these customers. CEO of AT&T Mobility Ralph de la Vega
requested that a new social media customer service team be created, and DeMaagd
lead the project from only four members in 2009 to the 70-person team
today.

DeMaagd’s ability to spot and fill gaps in the customer experience
is what helped her become a key figure in AT&T’s support
services.

Sandi Hassett

Title: Director of North America
Customer Service, LifeScan

Years of Experience: 11

Biggest
Takeaway:Use collaboration to lead your team toward a goal.

Sandi Hassett
honed her strong leadership skills on the battlefield, leading a platoon as an
Army officer stationed at Fort Polk, LA. In her 11 years as the director of
North American Customer Service for LifeScan, a producer of blood glucose
monitoring devices owned by Johnson & Johnson, these abilities helped her
build the structure necessary to establish clear roles for each
department.

“We needed to identify how business needs and [the customer
service department] fit in the organization,” she says. With this goal in mind,
Hassett implemented skip-level meetings, a weekly informational summary sent by
email, and focus groups to ensure communication from customers, employees and
executives is easily communicated throughout the company.

Her efforts
have improved company operations, no doubt thanks to her leadership
experience.

Namrata Kripalani Felger

Title: Director of
Customer Experience and Quality, Dell

Years of
Experience: 11

Biggest Takeaway: Constantly ask questions to get to the
root of a problem.

Namrata Kripalani Felger worked her way up to her
position as director of customer experience and quality for Dell after starting
as manager of the computer and technology giant’s supply chain and operations
department.

She found success by harnessing her curiosity; she questions
the validity of processes and breaks down problems into simpler pieces by asking
“why”. “This strengthens my ability to improve processes and manage through
change,” she says.

Biggest
Takeaway: Being proactive in learning about your industry, employees and
customers.

After several years of experience as Disney’s operations
director, Barbara Higgins joined Allstate Insurance as senior vice president of
customer experience and retention. She immediately immersed herself in learning
everything about the insurance industry by meeting with experts, agency owners,
and customers.

“When I was ready to start implementing key initiatives, I
knew what to measure in order to figure out if the direction was right or not,”
Higgins says. “I had a better idea of what the impact might be on the
individuals charged with delivering service to our customers.”

Once she
began using this new knowledge, she was able to remove barriers that kept
Allstate from improving the customer experience by engaging employees and moving
them to positions that match their skills.

At Trulia, a residential real
estate listing website, Sheri Williams directs the customer service department.
She started her career in community relations at a bank call center, and served
in a leadership role at Janus Capital Group for six years.

Creating a
strong relationship early on with Trulia’s vice president of product helped
Williams in suggesting product changes based on feedback from the customer
service representatives. She established the relationship by staying in contact
with him by email and phone, and by travelling to San Francisco about once a
month to meet in person.

Williams used this communication channel to
address an issue with corrections to real estate listings on Trulia.com. She
suggested emphasizing certain system enhancements to the VP of product and he
listened. The problem had a swift solution thanks to her
efforts.

Communication and Relationships are Crucial to Excellent
Customer Service

The women we spoke to blazed different paths to
their current positions, but effectively leading a team toward a customer
service goal requires two things each one possesses: the ability to communicate
and build relationships with colleagues, employees and customers.

If you looking for ways to reinvent your career or make the leap into entrepreneurship, now is the time!

Though there are a lot of people starting businesses these days, entrepreneurial thinking is not restricted to business owners.Learning to think like an entrepreneur will give you skills to succeed no matter what's happening in the economy.

Let’s take a look at the traits of successful entrepreneurs.

Having a vision – What do you really want to achieve in your life? What do you enjoy doing? When you have a vision for what you want to accomplish, you can stop running in circles. You can stop following what other people are doing, or listening to well-meaning people who think they know what’s best. Do you want to follow your passion and live your purpose? Start with a vision.

Being creative – Creativity isn’t just about art! It’s also about thinking outside the box in order to solve problems and find new ways of doing things. When you connect with your creativity, you are open to solutions that may come from places you never expected.

Trusting your intuition – How often do you listen to your “inner” voice? It may be hard to do when there’s so much going on around you. When you learn to trust your own judgment, you can trust that you know what’s best for you.

Taking risks – It’s possible that in order to achieve what you want, you may have to try something completely new. Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone? That’s what risk taking is all about.

Taking action – Once you have gathered the information you need, it’s time to take action. When you’re proactive you get to decide the next step, as opposed to having it decided for you. And don’t forget – choosing not to make a decision is also a decision! When you let things happen by default, you can end up being a victim of circumstances instead of being a victor.

Remember, you have to be it before you can do it. Whether you decide to become an entrepreneur or not, you can think like one. Instead of waiting to be chosen you can choose success!

Deborah A. Bailey is author of two non-fiction books including, “Think Like an Entrepreneur: Transforming Your Career and Taking Charge of Your Life." She's also the creator and host of Women Entrepreneurs Radio, a weekly women entrepreneurs podcast. http://DeborahABailey.com

Ready to make changes in your business, but not sure where to start? Click on the link below to download a sneak peek of my new online course: "Five Steps to Making Changes in Your Business." http://eepurl.com/cLDzbY

Randy Kay has been an accomplished CEO, humanitarian, corporate executive and success trainer for some of the most accomplished people and companies in the world. He is a person who is pioneering a new definition of success that encourages people to follow their unique journey and reach their singular destination. Kay has shared his knowledge and the collective experience of generations of success “masters” into Daily Keys to Success, a comprehensive book on how to improve your skills and abilities for producing a thriving life.

After a long, successful career and life producing results for Fortune 500 companies and training thousands, Randy Kay created TenorCorp as a strategic development organization for individuals and companies throughout the world. He has coached or trained countless highly successful people to achieve their own unique success by customizing an approach using consistent success factors: universal principles, skills, and practices that once grasped and applied, will guarantee success.

Randy Kay is chairman and CEO of TenorCorp, a diversified strategic development firm that works with emerging to large companies, and individuals seeking to grow their business or personal and team skills. Earlier in his career he served as CEO of a biotech company and a media company, commercial executive with large pharmaceutical and medical device companies like Johnson & Johnson, and chairman or board member for numerous philanthropic organizations.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Kay began his career in marketing for Procter & Gamble and by creating promotional campaigns for worldwide corporations. However, ask him to define his success, and Kay says, “Success for me is when I see my contributions reflected in the success of someone else so they can thrive.” http://www.randywkay.com/

If you’re in the business of transformation then it’s imperative that your clients get into action and actually implement all that they are learning from you.

So what do you do when a client promises to take a step forward…and instead, stalls out?

Or when a client checks in with you, full of excuses rather than celebrations?

Or when a client ignores the commitments they made and instead focuses on a host of other, questionably productive activities?

If there is one secret between those who are successful and those who are not, it’s in their appreciation and commitment to being accountable.

Which is why, you, as their coach/mentor or healer/teacher need to have a few effective strategies under your belt so that you feel confident and prepared when your client shows up as less than powerful in this crucial area.

Here are a few of my favorite strategies for handling "L.O.A.D." (that is, lack of accountability disorder). Oh, and you can use these strategies for yourself, too! :-)

Strategy #1 Peer Pressure Works

Staying accountable to a goal is easier when the goal is publicly stated. This is when peer pressure is a useful tool because most people will get into action rather than face the embarrassment of "not coming through". So the next time your client states a goal, ask them to post it on Facebook, or share it with 3 supportive friends or post it in any other public way they have available to them.

Strategy #2 Head Off Distractions Before They Happen

When you’re coaching or requesting your client to take action, ask them which part of their goal is the most exciting or feels the easiest for them. Then (and this is the powerful part) ask them which part feels the most challenging. Finally, coach them on ways they can take empowered action if that challenge should happen. By revealing now what might get in their way, and by creating a plan, you’re setting your client up for amazing success.

Strategy #3 Book-End Daily Progress

Who can your client report into each morning about their intended actions for the day…and report in again to at the end of the day with their progress? This is called "book-ending" and it is one of the most powerful accountability tools I’ve ever used. I love it so much that we set up book-ending buddies with our Stars Courageous Coaching® members, asking them to either book-end on the Stars forum, or privately with each other via email.

Strategy #4 Meet Each Excuse With A Question

Sure, life happens and things come up for people. But this is rare. What is more common is for your client to come to a session with you, loaded up with excuses (ahem, consider this code for either a lack of commitment to the original goal, or, prioritizing everyone else’s needs before their own). Your role is to dive into why they let this happen and what would have to be true for them to stay committed as if their life depended on it.

Remember, Your Clients Want You To Kick Their Butt, So What Are You Waiting For?

Would you like to learn simple ways you can brand, package and price your services, quickly move away from "dollars-for-hours work" and create more money, time, and freedom in you business? Check out my web site, http://www.KendallSummerHawk.com, for free articles, resources and to sign up for my free audio mini-seminar "Money Blocks & Breakthroughs.

Award-winning, million dollar marketing coach Kendall SummerHawk is the leading expert in women entrepreneurs and money.

There’s nothing small about the revenue potential of year-end (or holiday) season when it comes to small businesses. It’s the time of year when your ideal clients are spending big, and — if you’ve got the right plan in place — primed and ready to spend with you.

As the season approaches, it’s important to identify factors that could influence your audience’s purchase decisions. Keep these trends in mind as you start this year’s planning and promotional strategy.1. Your audience has gone mobile

Here’s a snapshot of what happened in the world of mobile this past year:

Smartphone usage in the U.S. increased by 50% (Kleiner Perkins)

The number of emails being opened on mobile increased by 330% (Litmus)

Tablet usage doubled in the U.S. (Pew Research Center)

Bottom Line: More people than ever are using mobile devices to make their purchase decisions. If a potential client can’t easily find and consume the information they’re looking for from their mobile device or if you send an email that doesn’t look good on a smartphone or tablet, it could cost you business.

2. Your next clients and customers are looking for consumer feedback

Over 90 percent of consumers now read reviews before making a purchase. They trust them too! In one survey, 78 percent of participants said they trusted peer recommendations over ads.

Bottom Line: In addition to review sites like Yelp, consumers are also relying on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to help with shopping research.

You’ll want to be active on the sites where people are looking for your offerings and pay close attention to what’s being said about your business. Look for opportunities to engage with your fans on Facebook, respond to a customer’s question on Twitter, or thank someone for a positive online review at every opportunity.

3. Email still sells more than social media

According to new data from Monetate, email continues to be one of the biggest drivers of conversions for businesses with an eCommerce presence.

The study, which analyzed more than 500 million shopping experiences in the first quarter of 2013, found that the conversion rate for email was 3.19 percent, compared to 1.95 percent for search, and just .71 percent for social media.

Bottom Line: While social media and other online marketing tools will also play an important part in this year’s promotion, your permission based email contact list will continue to be one of your most valuable assets. Keep that in mind as you start your planning.

No matter what type of product or service you sell, one thing remains the same: people are shopping online, by phone, or in-person during the year-end season. Make sure you’re the business they choose to spend with when making purchases for their friends, family, and colleagues.

Sydni Craig-Hart, The Smart Simple Marketing Mentor, is founder of SmartSimpleMarketing.com. Known for her easy, strategic and results-focused approach to marketing, she also has the unique ability to find untapped profit centers in her client's businesses so they can create money NOW.

Visit www.SmartSimpleMarketing.com for your FREE kit, "5 Simple Steps to More Clients, More Visibility and More Freedom" and schedule your FREE "Profit Breakthrough" session with Sydni!

Deirdre “DJ” Baker is the founder of Superior Business Management Solutions, LLC. She has over 20 years experience in the areas of business management, accounting, business processes and executive support.

DJ assisted in the startup and growth of small companies and support of larger ones as they navigated through mergers and acquisitions. She has worked in various industries including Security, Fitness, Construction, Financial, Investigative, and Waste Management.

Her career over these 20+ years and her outside work as a volunteer and freelancer, has given her extensive knowledge in all areas of Business Management, Bookkeeping and Accounting, Customer Service, Sales & Marketing, B2B Relations, Account Management, Office Management, Writing, Social Media Marketing, Internet Marketing, Print Design, WordPress Web Design, Blogging, eBook Creation, Article Marketing, and so much more.
She has personally worked as a freelancer for well over 5 years prior to starting Superior and has helped many businesses manage their back office support needs. Her knowledge is diverse, always expanding, and cutting edge.

Deirdre has recently launched “Today’s Small Business“; a digital magazine catering to Entrepreneurs, Micro and Small Business, Solopreneurs, WAHMs, and anyone interested in starting a business of their own. http://superiorbms.com

The luxe entertainment tea boutique, namely Taking Tea InStyle, was founded in 2005 by CEO and Founder, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist, Sharon Levy. After spending many years in corporate America, where she held various management positions, Ms. Levy turned her attention to her true passion: her love for tea and entertaining; hence the creation of “The Ultimate Tea Experience.”

It is Ms. Levy's attention to detail and flair for design that leaves her guests enchanted and wanting more. From the moment you invite Taking Tea InStyle into your space, you are assured of receiving the best experience possible. A serene atmosphere is set with fine china, exotic flowers, delicate pastries and tea sandwiches. Ms. Levy prides herself in providing a “white glove” service on a level found at only the most exclusive venues.

In addition to providing the ultimate tea experience, she has a line of custom blend whole leaf teas that will not only delight your palate but heal your soul.

The teas are available at boutique locations as well as on the website.

Ms. Levy is certified by The Specialty Tea Institute (STI) in Tea Education Level I and II. STI is a division of the Tea Association of the USA, dedicated to serving the needs of purveyors in the specialty tea industry.

In addition, she's also is an expert in social etiquette and dining skills, and she presents workshops for children and adults.

Many of us simply lose sight of it or let it go because of some earlier disappointment, rejection, or lack of progress. The natural tendency is to protect ourselves from getting hurt again, so we deny our dream, afraid to reach out for the people, resources, and opportunities that could support it.

I want to share a quick story about my friend Catherine Lanigan. She had earned a college scholarship on her strengths as a gifted writer. Catherine’s Harvard professor gave her an F on her first short story and convinced her she had no talent. She wrote nothing more for 13 years.

Then one day in her small Texas town Catherine visited a movie set. When she expressed her desire to be a writer, one of the scriptwriters shot back, "B.S.! If you wanted to be a writer, you would have written."

When Catherine explained how her professor discouraged her, the scriptwriter replied, "An academic guy? What does he know? I write for a living. Tell you what. You go home and write something and send it to me, and I’ll tell you if I think you have any talent in the real world of commercial literature."

A year later, Catherine finished her novel and sent it to the scriptwriter, who loved it and sent it to his agent in New York. The agent also loved it and asked to represent her work. Catherine’s first novel was followed by numerous others including Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, which became a major motion picture.

Is there a dream buried deep within you? If so, you owe it to yourself—and the world—to fully express it.

First you need to get in touch with your dream. When you get in touch with the essence of who you are and what it is that really wants to come through you, it propels you forward, allowing you to overcome any obstacle, no matter how big.

Secondly, gather feedback from many people (but don’t let someone else’s opinion bury your dream as Catherine did for so long). Whether you’re venturing into a new career, proposing a project in your community, or developing a computer application, get as much feedback as you can. Weigh it; then follow your own instincts.

Finally, try things you’ve never tried before to see what works. When we were kids, we’d try anything, but now? Today a child having a computer problem will hit every button to get it to work. Many adults fear touching the wrong button will break it.

Embrace a spirit of curiosity and playfulness in your pursuit. If one thing doesn’t work, try another. If that doesn’t work, try something else. This can be great fun. Imagine life as one big laboratory—and keep experimenting until your dream yields the results you want.

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul® and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com.